New York City has significantly fewer children and teenagers than it did before the coronavirus pandemic spurred an exodus of families to the suburbs and other states, according to an analysis of new census data released Thursday.
The number of New Yorkers under the age of 20 fell by 9 percent — or more than 186,000 people — to 1.8 million in 2023 from just three years earlier, according to Social Explorer, a data research company that analyzed the census estimates.
It was the biggest drop in at least a decade in the city’s under-20 population.
The decrease could potentially affect the city’s education policies and public school system, which is the largest in the United States, and could eventually help shape the city’s work force and economy.
That age group has been steadily shrinking in the city since at least 2010 even as older age groups have been growing.
Locations:
York City, Yorkers, United States